Here is the primary fossil leaf locality
in what paleobotanists call the Verdi Flora. The carbonized fossil
leaves of cottonwoods, willows and pond weeds, plus conifer needles,
cone scales and occasional cones occur in an unnamed geologic
rock formation of late Miocene age (roughly 5.7 million years
old, as dated by radiometric methods).

A carbonized cottonwood leaf (Populus
sp.) from the Verdi Flora, late Miocene in geologic age, 5.7
million years old as determined by radiometric age-dating methods.
The specimen is 60 millimeters long.

A mostly complete specimen (the tip is missing)
of a carbonized willow leaf (Salix sp.) from the late
Miocene Verdi Flora of western Nevada. The specimen is 58 millimeters
long.

A complete, entire, carbonized cottonwood
leaf (Populus sp.) from the late Miocene Verdi Flora of
western Nevada. Note the elongated stem; rarely does one find
a cottonwood leaf specimen at the Verdi Flora fossil locality
with its distinctive long stem preserved intact. The specimen
is 65 millimeters long.